The invention relates to improvements in apparatus for manipulating rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing industry. Such articles include plain or filter cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos and cheroots as well as filter rod sections. More particularly, the invention relates to improvements in apparatus for transferring successive individual articles, or successive sets of two or more articles, from an elongated first path wherein the articles are advanced axially (lengthwise) into a second path wherein the articles are advanced sideways, i.e., at least substantially transversely of their respective longitudinal axes.
It is already known to transfer cigarettes or other rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing industry (hereinafter called cigarettes for short) from a straight first path into a second path with simultaneous change of orientation of the articles by approximately or exactly 90.degree., i.e., from longitudinal axial movement to sidewise or transverse movement. Such changes in direction of movement of the articles are often necessary during transfer of successively formed individual cigarettes or sets of two or more neighboring axially aligned cigarettes from the discharge end of a cigarette rod making machine into a filter tipping machine wherein plain cigarettes are provided with filter mouthpieces. It is also known to alter the speed of the manipulated cigarettes so that the speed of cigarettes which move sideways is less than the speed of cigarettes which move axially. The means for transferring cigarettes from the first path into the second path normally comprises a rotary conveyor with cigarette receivers which have elongated flutes and are driven in such a way that their speed at the locus of acceptance from the first path matches the speed of cigarettes in the first path. The flutes of the receivers forming part of the rotary conveyor are parallel to the cigarettes during acceptance of single or plural cigarettes from the first path, and such receivers are parallel to the receivers of a conveyor which defines the second path during acceptance of single or plural cigarettes from successive receivers of the rotary conveyor.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,521,513 granted Jul. 21, 1970 to Gomann et al. discloses a transfer apparatus wherein the receivers of the rotary conveyor attract cigarettes from the first path by suction. The thus attracted cigarettes share the movements of the respective receivers along an arc of approximately 90.degree. so that the component of movement in the direction of movement along the first path (i.e., in the axial direction of the cigarettes) is reduced to zero. Successive receivers of the rotary conveyor then transfer the single or plural cigarettes onto a removing conveyor which defines the second path. At the instant of transfer onto the removing conveyor, the receivers of the rotary conveyor are parallel to the cigarettes in the first path as well as to the receivers of the removing conveyor. The speed of receivers on the removing conveyor matches the speed of receivers on the rotary conveyor when the cigarettes enter the second path. Thus, the speed of receivers on the removing conveyor must match the speed of cigarettes in the first path. This is or can be undesirable under certain circumstances, e.g., at the cigarette admitting end of a filter tipping machine.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,039,606 granted Jun. 19, 1962 to Dearsley discloses a cigarette catcher wherein the speed of receivers on the rotary conveyor is higher during acceptance of cigarettes from the first path and is lower during transfer of cigarettes into the receivers of the removing conveyor. A drawback of the apparatus of Dearsley is its complexity. Furthermore, conversion of the patented apparatus for the transfer of shorter or longer cigarettes necessitates the installation of a substantial number of adapters which also contributes to the initial and maintenance cost.